Android Advisorの 100 の目次

Price: £369 from fave.co/3ttmfTI The OnePlus Nord 2T is very similar to 2021’s Nord 2, but that doesn’t stop the newer version from being one of the best mid-range phones you can buy. The 2T adds faster 80-watt charging and a newer processor for a lower starting price than before. It shows how far smartphone technology has come that the Nord 2T is so good I’d recommend most people should buy it over the £799 OnePlus 10 Pro. It costs half as much but does most things just as well. It’s not a sonic leap forward for OnePlus by any means but if you are looking to upgrade your phone and are on a budget, the Nord 2T should be close to the top of your list. DESIGN This is a svelte and…

Price: £949 from fave.co/3aFHYB6 It’s been a year and a half since Huawei sold Honor, launching the former subsidiary as an independent organisation. Although Honor has achieved plenty in that time, it’s taken until now for it to globally launch what it considers to be a true flagship phone: the Magic 4 Pro. First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona this February, the Magic 4 Pro is a premium piece of hardware that is intended to hold its own against the most expensive (non-folding) phones from Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi. For the most part, it does. Truly powerful cameras, a great display, and excellent charging speeds make this one of the most impressive flagships around, all at a price that just undercuts a few key competitors. A lack…

Price: £149 from fave.co/3NxSlWf Over-the-ear headphone lovers like me are familiar with open-back headphones; open-back earbuds like the Sony LinkBuds are another matter. Both types of headphone allow sound from the outside world to mix freely with whatever music you’re listening to, providing improved situational awareness while you’re out and about. Sony accomplished this with the LinkBuds by designing the portion of the earbud that sits over your canal to be circular with a hole punched out–they look like doughnuts sitting in your ear. This isn’t Sony’s first attempt at a ring-based driver, but this is the first one the company has pushed hard to the mainstream. The LinkBuds retail for £149 and feature some compelling reasons for why you should consider them. Sony has gotten a lot of things…

If there’s one area where wasted moments are just begging to be reclaimed, it’s within the Chrome browser on your Android phone. Google’s Android Chrome app is an absolute gold mine when it comes to hidden shortcuts and underappreciated time-savers. Read on to find out more. 1. THE HIDDEN TAB ACTIONS First up, see that box showing the total number of tabs you have open in Chrome on Android – the rounded square shape in the upper-right corner of the screen (1a.)? Well, make a mental note of this: if you press and hold that box for about a second, you’ll reveal a useful menu of time-saving tab options (1b.). It’s hands-down the fastest way to close your current tab or open a new tab – be it regular…

Price: £399 from fave.co/3zppyyY Samsung’s mid-range phone game is, historically, pretty weak. So is Apple’s, to be fair, leaving it to Google and the Chinese smartphone giants to fill in the gaps. When I first saw the Galaxy A53 I had my hopes that Samsung had turned a corner, offering a balance of specs, features, and stylish design that not only bests Apple’s latest iPhone SE, but could be a genuine rival to the best of Xiaomi, Oppo, and Honor. I don’t mind holding my hands up and admitting I was wrong. Well, in part. I think the Galaxy A53 is a better phone than Apple’s SE, and there’s an awful lot about it that I like: a great design, excellent software support, waterproofing, and capable cameras. But it’s let…

Price: £639 from fave.co/3mDjg7b Xiaomi-owned Black Shark has become one of the key manufacturers of gaming phones in recent years, with unique innovations like magnetic pop-up triggers offering genuine innovation for keen mobile gamers – and that trend is set to continue with the Black Shark 5 Pro. However, the impressive design and performance of the Black Shark 5 Pro mean it’s more expensive than ever before, and more expensive than key rival Red Magic too. Has Black Shark done enough to justify a price that’s etching ever closer to flagship smartphones? Well… DESIGN The Black Shark 5 Pro, like the rest of the collection, is a gaming phone through-and-through, and that’s very much reflected in its design – though it is arguably toned down a little this time around.…

When Android 13 officially arrives this summer, we’re bound to see a bunch of befuddled head scratching. It won’t be because of heat-induced brain fog either. Instead, this fresh crop of confusion will stem from the fact that after months of build-up and anticipation, Google’s latest and greatest Android version isn’t going to look like much for the majority of Android users. This sounds strange, I know, but it’s true. For anyone carrying a phone that was already running last year’s Android 12 software, Android 13 is shaping up to be an incredibly subtle, almost-not-even-noticeable change – at least on a surface level. That’s not to say Android 13 isn’t significant. Far from it, in fact this year’s Android update may be one of Google’s most pivotal, platform-shifting releases and…

As Google looks toward the future of Android and its platform-wide tablet philosophy, you can’t help but be reminded of the past. It was 11 years ago, after all, that Google first turned its focus toward creating an optimal Android tablet experience. Back in 2011, Google launched its initial Android tablet push with the introduction of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb software and an effort to get developers on board with big-screen app interface optimizations. That effort didn’t last for long, to say the least. Within about a year, Google lost its focus, pivoted away from its vision, and ultimately just let the idea of the Android tablet languish without any meaningful movement forward or any real platform-level promotion. So when word broke that Google was making another push for the world to…

Price: £199 from fave.co/39bcWQJ Realme’s GT line takes its name from the world of motor sports, so it should come as no surprise that speed is of the essence in the new GT Neo 3. From the racing stripes across the back to the inclusion of the fastest wired charging in any phone right now – a frankly ridiculous 150 watts – this phone is designed for speed freaks. But despite that, it’s also a satisfying, well-rounded phone that ticks a lot of boxes and only rarely slams the brakes. DESIGN The first thing you’ll notice about the GT Neo 3 is probably the outlandish rear design. Realme is no stranger to bold aesthetics, and the racing stripe are relatively restrained by the company’s usual standards. I’ve been testing the…

Price: £349 from fave.co/3Nuq7eW Bang and Olufsen’s Beoplay EX true wireless, noise-cancelling earbuds feature beautiful design, a secure fit, strong wireless performance, great sound, and decent battery life. They’re also entirely waterproof – to the point they’ll survive being submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. If their £349 asking price doesn’t make you check your wallet, read on and see why they could be B&O’s finest in-ear headphones. DESIGN B&O audio gear is about form as much as function, and the Beoplay EX certainly make a statement. Once you get past the fact that their stem-shape reminds you of Apple’s AirPod, you’ll marvel at the EX’s beauty. They’re designed by Copenhagen’s Thomas Bentzen, whose industrial designs are known for their ‘simplicity, rationality and functionality’. The Beoplay EX…

Quick. When is the last time you really, truly thought about your Android phone’s Quick Settings set-up? If you’re like most people I know, the answer probably ranges somewhere between ‘aeons ago’ and ‘never’. And it’s no surprise: Android’s Quick Settings area is one of those things that’s just sort of there. It’s convenient, sure, but it’s all too easy to forget that it’s completely customizable – and expandable, too. It can turn into an invaluable home for your own custom Android shortcuts, if you take the time to build it up accordingly. The challenge, aside from simply remembering that you can expand that area of your phone’s interface, is knowing where to begin. Google doesn’t exactly have any great way of tracking down and identifying apps that offer Quick Settings additions,…